The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)

Jimmie Blacksmith, the son of an Aboriginal mother and a white father, falls victim to much racist abuse after marrying a white woman, and goes on a killing spree and finds himself on the run in the aftermath.

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Writers:

Fred Schepisi (screenplay), Thomas Keneally (novel)

Stars:

Tommy Lewis, Freddy Reynolds, Angela Punch McGregor

5 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tommy Lewis	...	Jimmie Blacksmith
Freddy Reynolds	...	Mort Blacksmith
Ray Barrett	...	Farrell
Jack Thompson	...	Rev. Neville
Angela Punch McGregor	...	Gilda Marshall (as Angela Punch)
Steve Dodd	...	Tabidgi (as Steve Dodds)
Peter Carroll	...	McCready
Ruth Cracknell	...	Mrs. Heather Newby
Don Crosby	...	Jack Newby
Elizabeth Alexander	...	Petra Graf
Peter Sumner	...	Dowie Steed
Tim Robertson	...	Healey
Ray Meagher	...	Dud Edmonds
Brian Anderson	...	Hyberry
Jane Harders	...	Mrs. Healey

Storyline

The true story of a part aboriginal man who finds the pressure of adapting to white culture intolerable, and as a result snaps in a violent and horrific manner.

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Plot Keywords:

australian aborigine | fugitive | race relations | interracial couple | racism | 

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Taglines:

The chant of the underdog

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This picture was one of fifty Australian films selected for preservation as part of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Kodak / Atlab Cinema Collection Restoration Project.

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Quotes

McCready: You can't say we haven't given you anything. We've introduced you to alcohol, religion.
Jimmie Blacksmith: Religion.
McCready: Influenza, measles, syphilis. School.
Jimmie Blacksmith: School.
McCready: A whole host of improvements.

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Connections

Referenced in Roadgames: A Lecture by Richard Franklin, Barbi Taylor, and Brian May, 20 November (1981)

User Reviews

Politically driven film with few positive elements

If you're the sort of person who enjoys being depressed, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is the film for you. A short summary of the film is as follows. Young half aboriginal/half white boy is raised by a white Christian family. As he goes off to find a job, he discovers that every white person in the world is actually a racist. He tries to get over this fact by trying to lose his 'black soul', and become more like a white man. He is constantly cheated and laughed at by his white employers. Of course there is only one thing a decent person can possibly do when faced with this. He goes and chops up a couple of women and young girls with an axe. Sound fun so far? Well it gets better anyway, but I won't give away the whole plot in case you actually want to watch the movie. Of course one might say, but isn't the message important? Well, no. It is true that Aborigines were generally considered inferior at the time, and that there was some racism going on. But this film ruthlessly exaggerates it to prove a point, which appears to be that white society is a corrupter of black people. Leaving aside the negative storyline and the political point-scoring, however, the acting is fairly decent, and score is alright too. Apart from that, don't bother watching this.

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1978 (Australia)

Also Known As:

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith

Filming Locations:

Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD1,280,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Film House, Victorian Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1